Friday, September 30, 2011

The #5 ranked Villanova women may have put a bit of a scare in the rest of the top national teams today at the Paul Short Run in Bethlehem, PA. Running without the defending NCAA champion Sheila Reid, Gina Procaccio's squad finished a mere 3 points behind national #3 Providence, and in the process Villanova's #2 Bogdana Mimic defeated Providence's #1, transfer Emily Sisson (as well as national contender Neely Spence). Also making a statement was sophomore Emily Lipari who came home 11th overall.

Of course, the issue confronting the Villanova women this year as they attempt to win their third consecutive national championship is how well their #4 and #5 finishers can replace the two 2010 All Americans (Amanda Marino and Ali Smith) lost to graduation earlier this year. Today provided a bit more evidence that Villanova's back end may be stronger than some have predicted. Following a 2nd place finish last week at the Main Line Invitational at Haverford, Nicky Akande again showed that she is intent on taking on a top 5 role this season. Akande trailed Emily Lipari by a mere two seconds and came home 15 seconds ahead of expected #4 Callie Hogan. Two freshman, Courtney Chapman and Stephanie Schappert, made additional statements that they belong in the top 7. For now, Villanova's "A" team looks to be Sheila Reid, Bogdana Mimic, Emily Lipari, Callie Hogan, Nicky Akande, Courtney Chapman and Stephanie Schappert. Prize recruit Megan Venables, one of the top high school harriers in the country last year, finished 122nd in 22:25. While last year the team depended on freshman Emily Lipari at #5 to rise to the challenge, the 2011 edition of the Villanova women's team seems to have cast sophomore Nicky Akande in the make-or-break spot.

The team race was won by the Providence Friars, who entered the meet ranked 3rd nationally. National #1 Georgetown played possum, holding out Emily Infeld and running a mixed squad. The Hoyas finished 4th overall. Duke, entering with the #9 national ranking, finished 11th, while #12 Syracuse was 3rd.

2010 graduate Amanda Marino, a volunteer assistant coach this year, ran in the Open Race at Paul Short and won the race in 20:47. Amanda Borroughs and Anna Francis also competed in the open race. Borroughs was 68th in 23:52, while Francis was 117th in 24:43.

Marcus O'Sullivan's men's team ran today in Bethlehem, PA at the Paul Short Run, finishing a solid 4th in the team standings. This without a strong finish from Mathew Mildenhall who would normally be at the head of the Villanova contingent. Added to the mix who were absent last week, Matt Gibney and Ryan Sheridan made their season debuts. Some positives and negatives merit comment.

On the positive side, Matt Gibney showed the benefit of solid (healthy) base training over the summer, as he led the Villanova team with his 15th place finish (24:41 over the 8K course). Keith Capecci came home a stride or two behind Gibney in 17th (24:42). After much anticipation, Iona transfer Ryan Sheridan wore the Villanova singlet for the first time and finished in 37th (25:01) as Villanova's 3rd man. Also, the Cats did well despite the absence of Mildenhall, expected to be one of Villanova's top harriers this year, at the front of the charge. Finally on the positive side was the nice 38 second spread between the team's five scorers.

More unexpected were the 79th and 81st finishes of Brian Long (who won the Main Line Invitational last week in fine fashion) and Matt Kane (who ran a strong 19:43 over 4 miles last week), and the 176th finish for Mathew Mildenhall. We wondered if Sam McEntee's performance last week at Haverford would have led to the removal of a redshirt. The answer: No. McEntee raced unattached today in the Open Race, which the Aussie from Perth won in 25:25. That time would have placed him in 80th place, between Brian Long and Matt Kane, in the Gold Race.

Overall, the Villanova men came in ranked #18 but outperformed some higher ranked squads (#15 Syracuse, #17 Providence, and #12 Princeton). On the other hand, #22 Georgetown and #39 Columbia finished ahead of Villanova. An overall assessment is not easy, since many teams ran split squads.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

In the June 1983 issue of the now defunct The Runnner magazine, two legendary Villanova distance runners -- world record holder Eamonn Coghlan and three-time world #1 Marty Liquori -- discussed Coghlan's move up in distance to the 5000 meters, his 3:49 indoor mile, and indoor versus outdoor running. A few weeks after this interview, Coghlan won the 5000 meter World Championship in Helsinki, Finland. Here's the interview (click on each page to see the expanded view):

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

This year's Paul Short Run (8K for the men, 6K for the women) is one of the first high profile meets of the cross country season. Race assigments have placed both the Villanova men and women in the Gold races, stacked with regional and national competitiors. On the men's side, #18 Villanova will have to contend with #4 Oklahoma, #12 Princeton, #15 Syracuse, #17 Providence, #19 Virginia, #22 Georgetown, #32 Dartmouth, and #39 Columbia. On the women's side, the #5 ranked Villanova women will face #1 Georgetown, #3 Providence, #9 Duke, #12 Syracuse, #16 Virginia, and #33 Dartmouth. Over the years, coaches O'Sullivan and Procaccio have taken varying approaches to this race, sometimes running their "A" squads, while at other times holding out their top runners. Both coaches have declared full squads for the race, so time will tell if we'll see Villanova's top men and women compete.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Here's the latest from the folks at The Runner's Tribe, the Australian running website, as they profile Villanova senior Matt Gibney. First up is Matt's own blog entry, as featured on the website (click the title of this post to be routed there).

Matt Gibney is one of the finest milers in the US College system - yet as a result of his soft-spoken demeanour and regal manners in a country where the “running media” focuses on the same stories about the same runners from the same schools, he often does not receive the attention and panty-dropping fanfare that he so deserves. As a result, The Runner’s Tribe has endeavoured to bring you around-the-clock coverage of this handsome Australian as he looks toward his final season of college in America. Topics of discussion will include (but are not limited too) identifying the true colour of his hair (Ginger v. Strawberry Blonde v. Raging Ginger), how an Australian can be so terrible with a cricket ball, and what it is going to take to make the Australian Olympic team. First up – a blog from the man himself.

Final Season at Villanova

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a middle-distance runner from Albury who has spent the last two and half years in the college system at Villanova University, in suburban Philadelphia. Despite struggling with a few injuries I’ve learnt and improved a lot since coming over here, and have loved the unique and intense experience of running on a college team. Sadly it’s all coming to an end in December, when I’ll graduate and head home for the 2012 Aussie season.

My last track season was over here ended on a great note, despite a several frustrating races. After a disappointing run in the 1500m at the NCAA outdoor champs in the middle of June, my coach (Marcus O’Sullivan) and I decided that I should keep racing for a few more weeks to try and run a PB and end the season on a positive. Although I didn’t get the results I was after in a few of these races, I had a great run in Vancouver, Canada, with a big PB of 3:38.30. This breakthrough gave me a lot of confidence heading into the coming Olympic year, especially since the guy who finished one place ahead of me (Geoff Martinson) made the semi-finals at the World Champs a few months later.

After these races I took a complete break from running for two-weeks, and then began to gradually build-up for the coming cross-country season. As it was the summer break at uni, I had the opportunity to see a lot more of America than I had on most of our college trips, which tend to revolve around the airport, the meet hotel, the track and the nearest Italian chain restaurant. I passed through Seattle, Vancouver and New York before spending three weeks in Kentucky with the hospitable Brian Long. Not only did I get in some great base training while trying to keep up with Brian and Matt Mildenhall, two of the best 5km/cross runners on the Nova team - I got to enjoy the best of the South; visiting a Bourbon distillery, firing some shotguns, and learning how to gut a dove.

I’m currently a little over a month into the fall semester and I’m getting ready for my first cross-country race over 8km next Friday. Luckily the Nova team is particularly strong this season, so I have a great squad of guys to work with in every session. I’ve now been back running for two months and I’m training as much as I ever have (60 miles a week with some supplemental swimming and elliptical-work). At the moment we’re doing two aerobic sessions a week (mainly tempo runs or repeat miles based on heart-rate) and one light hill session. I’ve never been in such good shape this early in a cross country season before, so I’m excited to see how much I can improve. My goals for this season are to consistently finish in the top five for the cross-country team (the top five score points), with a particular focus on the Big East Championships (8km on the 29th October) and the NCAA Champs (10km on the 23rd November).

After that it’s on to the Aussie season, where I’ll be aiming to earn a spot on the Olympic Team for the 1500m. Given the competition, I’m sure there’ll be some great races and opportunities to run fast!

Monday, September 26, 2011

Former Villanova ('05) distance ace Kirsty Smith has joined the cross country staff at Columbia as a volunteer assistant coach. Smith, who hails from North Vancouver, British Columbia, had PRs while at Villanova of 16:27.10 for 5000 meters (Raleigh Relays, 2004) and 9:23.65 for 3000i meters (New Balance Invitational, 2005). In cross country, Smith was Villanova's fourth finisher at the 2004 NCAA XC Nationals (64th overall) as the Villanova women finished 7th in the country that year. Here is the press release from Columbia University Athletics:

Cross Country/Track & Field Benefits From Outstanding New Volunteer Coaches

NEW YORK - With the 2011-12 Columbia sports season well underway, the Lions cross country and track & field athletes have benefited from the expertise and coaching of four new volunteer assistants and a new director of operations.

The added experience and instruction provided by volunteer assistants Joel Phillip, Sarana Hyatt, Kirsty Smith and Erison Hurtault and new director of operations Todd Weiss has strengthened the very talented staff of 18th-year Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Willy Wood.

Joel Phillip - Men's & Women's Sprints/HurdlesJoel Phillip brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Columbia track & field program. Phillip represented Grenada in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and had a distinguished track career at Arizona State University from 2007-10.

In 2010, Phillip was a national champion and All-American for both the indoor and the outdoor 4x400. He was a member of ASU's 2008 National Indoor Champion team and was he NCAA runner-up in the indoor 400m. He was also an All-American in the 2008 NCAA men's outdoor 400 m. Phillip served as the Sun Devils' men's sprints team captain from 2008-10.

Prior to joining Arizona State, Phillip attended Central Arizona College where he won the 2007 NJCAA national men's decathalon championship and the 2006 national men's 4x400m relay championship.

He has also served as the elementary school track & field coach at Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Sarana Hyatt - Men's & Women's Sprints/JumpsSarana Hyatt is an accomplished collegiate pentathlete and heptathlete at Sacred Heart University and will work closely with Columbia's sprinters and jumpers. From 2006-11, Hyatt was one of the most dominant pentathletes/heptathletes in the Northeast.

For the 2011 outdoor season, she garnered All-Northeast Conference honors in the high jump and All-New England honors in the heptathalon. In 2008, she earned All-NEC recognition in the 4x400m, 100 m high hurdles and the long jump. In 2007, she was All-New England as a heptathlete and All-NEC in the 400m intermediate hurdles, the 4x100 m and the 4x400 m.

Hyatt received All-ECAC honors as an indoor pentathlete in 2008-09. She was All-NEC for indoor high jump, long jump, 55m high hurdles and 4x400m and All-New England for the pentathalon for three straight years (2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09).

Kirsty Smith - Men's & Women's DistanceKirsty Smith joined the Columbia cross country/track & field staff in the summer of 2011 and has been a valuable addition due to her experience competing at both the collegiate and international levels.

Smith represented Canada in 2006 at the World Cross Country Championships and at the NACAC Cross Country Championships. She also was a member of the Brooks Canada Marathon Project in 2007.

Smith graduated from Villanova in 2005 and ran cross country and the 1500m and 5000m events for the Wildcats. As a senior in 2004, Smith was a key member of Villanova's cross country team that finished seventh at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Smith's 3000m steeplechase time of 10:55.00 stands as the fifth-fastest time in Villanova history.

Erison Hurtault - Men's & Women's SprintsErison Hurtault was one of Columbia's most decorated track athletes, competing for the Lions from 2003-04 to 2006-07. As a volunteer assistant coach, he will share experience competing in the Ivy League and national spotlight and his commitment to excellence with the current Columbia sprinters.

A high-pressure performer who was able to perform at his best in the biggest championship events, Hurtault had his most impressive year as a senior in 2006-07. Hurtault earned All-America honors at the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 400m, crossing in a school-record 45.50 and finishing third. He was a member of the 4x800m team that captured Columbia's first Championship of America victory at the Penn Relays since 1938 (7:22.64). Hurtault was the Outdoor Heps Male Performer of the Meet in 2006 and 2007 and earned All-America honors after clocking a 400m time of 46.48 time to place sixth at the 2006-07 NCAA Indoor Championships. As a senior Hurtault set the school, Ivy League and meet record at the Indoor Heps in the 400m when he ran a 46.34 to earn first-team all-conference honors. He was also the winner of the 2007 Connie S. Maniatty Award.

Todd Weiss - Director of OperationsTodd Weiss will move from his position of as a volunteer assistant coach to director of operations. In his new role, Weiss helps in the coordination of team events and travel.

Weiss has served as a volunteer assistant since October 2009, working primarily with cross country and middle distance athletes.

Weiss is also the head coach of the New York Flyers Marathon Training Program and the co-founder and head coach of the Williamsburg Track Club. He has previous coaching experienceswith Urban Athletics and St. Bernard's School.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Rita Quibell and Sheila Reid of the Newmarket Huskies were named winners of their respective categories at Saturday night’s Athletics Ontario awards ceremony in Toronto.Quibell was named winner for the women’s masters distances category after a highlighting her season by becoming a double winner at the world masters track and field championships held in July in Sacramento, California. Competing in the women’s 55-59 years age bracket, Quibell captured gold medals in the 800 and 1,500 metres.Meanwhile, Reid took home top honours in the senior women’s division after a season highlighted by winning three NCAA championships. In doing so, Reid beat out fellow nominees Rachel Aubry, Dana Buchanan, and Kate Van Buskirk.The 22-year-old senior at Villanova University in Philadelphia won the cross-country title last fall. She followed that feat by becoming the first woman to win the 1,500 and 5,000 titles in the same NCAA outdoor championship meet in June.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Gina Procaccio held out Sheila Reid, Bogdana Mimic, and Emily Lipari from the season opening Main Line Invitational, but the Villanova women swept the top seven finishing spots in the race. "The whole group went out faster than I thought they would," coach Procaccio said. "I was very happy to see that given the humidity this afternoon. That was a good sign to see them go out fast. This was a good start for us."

Callie Hogan (pictured above) won the 3-mile race in in 16:43.99, a full 1 minute 16 second improvement over her performance at last year's edition of the race. Nicky Akande was second, also with a large improvement: dropping last year's time of 18:31.60 all the way down to 16:49.49 this year. Four freshman ran their first races for Villanova to good effect: Courtney Chapman was 3rd in 17:06.62, Stephanie Schappert was 4th in 17:16.90, Megan Venables was 5th in 17:34.41, and Amanda Borroughs (unattached) was 9th in 18:09.61. Here are the complete Villanova results for the 3-mile race (with their times from previous Main Line Invitational races):

Thursday, September 22, 2011

The 17th-ranked (#2 in region) Villanova cross country men competed Thursday at the Main Line Invitational at Haverford. Coach O'Sullivan remarked that "I think this is the best we have ever done at this meet. We are usually struggling to get one or two guys to break 20 minutes and we had our top three all break 19:40 today. It was a humid day and I was extremely happy to see how our guys did today. This is the type of start that I look for as a coach, something that we can use to set the tone for the entire season." Villanova's top 5 finishers (including McEntee) this year averaged 19:37, while the top 5 Villanova finishers last year averaged 19:58. In addition, anticipated top-7 runners Ryan Sheridan, Keith Capecci, and Matt Gibney were held out of yesterday's meet, making the prospect of a very talented and deep squad this year all the more likely.

Led by the winning performance of Brian Long (who ran the four-mile course in 19:34, a full 63 seconds faster than he ran at last year's Main Line Invitational), Villanova's men (some of whom ran unattached - UA) went as follows (with comparisons to their times at the Main Line Invitational Invite from previous years):

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Here's the official start list for the women's 5th Avenue Mile, released today (click on the list for an enlarged version). No mention of Nicole Schappert, despite a New Jersey-New York Track Club announcement that she has been added to the field for the September 24th race in New York. Nicole's mile PR is 4:35, and earlier this year she ran 4:21 for the HASLAW Manchester Mile, a road course with a significant (180+ feet) net downhill slope.

Monday, September 19, 2011

As a race promoter shouted the praises of Bobby Curtis to a gathered crowd near the iconic Art Museum steps, the former all-American stood alone on the stage clutching his copper Liberty Bell trophy. This performance wasn't intended to be a highlight, just a tune-up of sorts and a step in his transformation into one of the nation's premier marathon runners.

The Villanova graduate passed this test with ease as he was the first American to finish at Sunday morning's Philadelphia Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon.

The 26-year-old navigated the course in 1 hour, 1 minute, and 52 seconds, which was good enough for ninth overall. He was aiming for a 62-minute finish and he finished eight seconds better than that. He said he wasn't trying to reach his peak yet, which he hopes comes in the fall on one of the sport's grandest stages.

"At this time of the season, New York City is the goal right now," Curtis said of November's New York City Marathon.

Kenya's Matthew Kisorio captured first place for the second straight year with a time of 58:46 while New Zealand's Kim Smith was the first female finisher at 1:07:11. Both of those times set records for all-comers in half marathons on American soil. Kisorio's time was the fourth fastest ever for a half marathon.

The half marathon was the longest race of Curtis' career, but he said he was able to handle it fine and was well-prepared after competing in 5,000- and 10,000-meter races earlier this year. At Villanova, Curtis was an all-American in his senior year as he captured the 2008 NCAA 5,000 title.

Curtis now will travel to Mammoth Lakes, Calif., where he'll train for New York. Located near Yosemite National Park, Mammoth Lakes is situated almost 8,000 feet above sea level. He said that he's found his best races have come after training in high altitudes.

The 13.1-mile course started and finished near the Art Museum, trekked past City Hall and into Center City, before looping back around the Art Museum and extending west on Kelly Drive and back east on Martin Luther King Drive. Curtis said the course was fast and was helped by Sunday morning's near-perfect weather conditions.

Kisorio finished the race in a sprint as he nipped fellow Kenyan Sammy Kitwara by two seconds. He said he had begun training for the race about a month ago and is also preparing for New York.

"I'm very happy," Kisorio said. "The race was good, and the weather was OK."

In April, Smith was leading the Boston Marathon before injuring her leg. Smith edged Werknes Kidane of Ethiopia by 15 seconds on her road back from that injury.

"I had to push it. I was pretty much trying to drop her [Kidane] the whole time," Smith said. "It's really good, makes you run faster."

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Bobby Curtis debuted at the half-marathon distance today in Philadelphia, finishing as the first American in 1:01.52 (9th place overall). That time places him in a tie as the 13th fastest American on the all-time half-marathon performance list. Two things worth noting: (1) the Philadelphia course is a very fast one, with 9 of the top 15 men having run their PR at the race; (2) Curtis's 1:01:52 was good for only 9th place this year, whereas most of the others on the list finished first or second when they ran their comparable time.

Bobby Curtis made his half-marathon debut this morning a big success at the Philadelphia Half-Marathon. He surpassed his 15th seed and finished 9th in 1:01:52 (4:44 per mile pace) and was the first American (and second non-African) finisher. His time bettered his own goals for the race; he was expecting something in the 1:02-1:03 range as he is, by his own admission, not yet at his highest level of fitness as he prepares for his marathon debut in November in New York. "I'm pleased with my race today," Curtis said. "I'm in the middle of heavy marathon training, so it was a respectable time."

2010 Villanova graduate Nicole Schappert, now running for the New Jersey-New York track club under Frank Gagliano, ran a strong 16:06.20 to finish in 7th place at today's USATF 5K road championship in Providence, RI.

The elite field announced Thursday for the Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon includes four men who have covered just over 13 miles in less than one hour and a rising talent from New Zealand who set a U.S. women's all-comers record earlier this year.

But a lot of eyes in the Art Museum area for Sunday's race will be focused on former Villanova all-American, Bobby Curtis, who is making his half-marathon debut with an eye toward his first New York City Marathon in November.

This is a step up in distance for Curtis, who won the 2008 NCAA 5,000-meter championship and has run the best time for 10,000 meters by an American - 27 minutes, 24.67 seconds - this year.

He has trained for Sunday's competition all over the area, at Villanova, Valley Forge National Park, and Valley Green. In doing so, he has bumped up the odometer to around 110 miles per week.

"You have to be kind of cautious," Curtis said Thursday. "I basically started at 70 miles a week. Then over maybe three or four weeks, I worked my way up to a number where my body feels comfortable, and I'm not sore, nothing's aching, nothing's hurting. If everything's fine, then you just keep cranking it up until you reach that point of resistance."

Curtis figures that with a fast course combined with the times he has run for 10,000 meters, a finish of around 61 minutes is not out of the question. However, he admitted his sights might be a little high.

"I don't think I'm in the best shape I've ever been in," he said. "I'm just getting back into it. So I think 62 or 63 minutes would show I'm right on the pace I should be for the New York City Marathon. But the field is absolutely loaded, so I'll have to go out there and see what kind of shape I'm in."

The field is formidable, with defending champion Matthew Kisorio of Kenya having set a course record last year of 1 hour, 16 seconds. Four other African runners - Sammy Kitwara and Peter Kamais of Kenya and Deriba Merga and Tilahun Regassa of Ethiopia - have run the distance in less than an hour.

On the women's side, Kim Smith of New Zealand set an all-comers record last February in New Orleans with a time of 1:07:36.

Curtis is looking forward to a good day overall.

"I know a lot of people I train with who have done half-marathons tell me they put on a great event," he said. "There's a lot of buzz in the crowd, just good energy. The fact that it's in Philadelphia is nice, so my friends and family can come and check out the race.

"I've run on the course on the [Kelly and Martin Luther King] drives and in Fairmount Park, so it'll definitely be real familiar for me, and that's a good thing. And I haven't run a race in Philadelphia since college, so I'm looking forward to it."

Friday, September 16, 2011

Bobby Curtis, the fifth fastest US-born 10,000 meter runner in history, is making his half-marathon debut this weekend in Philadelphia. A time of 1:05:00 or fatser will qualify Curtis for the 2012 Olympic marathon trials. Here is a list of the very deep elite men's field against whom Curtis will be competing:

Matthew Kisorio, 22, Kenya, Defending champion has since lowered his PR to 60:03 and won Berlin 25K in May

Bobby Curtis is running the Philadelphia Half-Marathon this weekend, as part of his preparations for his marathon debut at the ING New York City Marathon on November 6th. He has tied his training to the raising of money for the "Charity: Water" project, which funds the drilling of fresh water wells in underdeveloped areas of the globe.

For every mile Bobby runs in his training, he donates $1 to the charity. In addition, he is sponsoring a prediction contest. For a donation of at least $10, you can predict Bobby's finishing time at New York. The person who comes closest will win a prize package that consists of:

1. Your name attached to a clean water drilling rig in Ethiopia2. A matching plaque for your home or office3. Photo and video updates of your drilling rig in action4. Real time GPS updates as your rig moves throughout Africa5. A pair of Reebok running shoes6. A free dinner with Bobby! (optional)

So far, Bobby has raised $1,340 toward his overall goal of $5,000. A quick glance at the predictions so far sees Bobby's marathon debut ending in about 2:13:00.

Visit Bobby's Charity: Water website here, or by clicking the title of this post.

Gina Procaccio's has six new freshman runners on her 2011 Villanova women' cross country squad, currently ranked #5 in the national rankings. Here are the vital statistics on each of the new additions.

1. Megan Venables (Laurel Springs, NJ / Highland Regional HS)Venables spent much of the 2010 cross country season ranked as the #2 high school harrier in the USA. She won the NJ state cross country title in 2010. She finished 4th at the FootLocker Northeast Regional, thereby qualifying for Nationals. In San Diego at the FootLocker national championships, she finished 5th overall. Venables holds the course records at both Holmdel Park (Holmdel, NJ) and at Belmont Plateau (Philadelphia, PA). Her PRs are:800 meters: 2:24.241600 meters: 5:50.27Two Miles: 11:25.093000 meters: 9:45.833200 meters: 10:33.255000 meters: 17:22.84

2. Courtney Chapman (Fayetteville, NY / Fayette-Manlius HS)Chapman was a member of five consecutive Nike Cross Country Nationals championship teams for Fayetteville-Manlius. In the 2010 meet she finished 29th overall. At the New Balance Indoor Nationals in 2011 she anchored the Fayetteville-Manlius DMR squad to the the USA all-time #2 finish. Chapman was 3rd at the New York state meet at 1500 meters in 2011, running 4:23. Her PRs are:500 meters: 1:22.86600 meters: 1:40.58800 meters: 2:19.391000 meters: 2:54.981500 meters: 4:23.011600 meters: 5:04.343000 meters: 9:43.084000 meters: 14:14.30Three Miles: 16:58.005000 meters: 17:25.40

5. Leanne Tucker (Tewksbury, MA / Tewksbury Regional HS)Primarily a sprinter, and with no high school experience in cross country, Tucker is admittedly an experiment this fall. Coach Procaccio has stated about Tucker "we'll explore her potential" in cross country. Tucker was 2010 Massachusetts division 2 indoor state champion at 100 meters, running 2:58.87. She was 5th overall in Massachusetts in 2010 at that distance, running 2:58.31 at the all-state meet in February. In the outdoor season, Tucker was the Massachusetts state runner-up at 800 meters, running 2:12.99 in the finals. At New Balance outdoor nationals in June 2010, Tucker ran a new PR of 2:09.13, placing 6th. Her PRs are:400 meters: 1:01.04800 meters: 2:09.131000 meters: 2:56.98

6. Sydney Harris (Colorado Springs, CO / St. Mary's HS)Harris is Villanova's second Coloradan, joining Summer Cook in that category. At the 2011 Colorado outdoor state meet, Harris showed her versatility and strength in achieving honors in the 800, 1600, and 3200 meters. She was third in the 3200 meters (11:41.37), 5th over 1600 meters (5:16.00), and 6th in the 800 meters (2:24.02). Harris finished 5th at the 2010 Colorado 3A State cross country championships. Her PRs are:800 meters: 2:23.711000 meters: 3:16.411600 meters: 5:13.42One Mile: 5:36.423200 meters: 11:41.195000 meters: 18:24.60

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Elite Runner Coordinator William Fodor’s forecasts for who to watch at the 34th annual race this Saturday.

by Elise PearlmanSeptember 13, 2011Northport Patch

The streets of Northport will reverberate with the sound of pounding feet on Saturday as Long Islanders and elite runners compete in the nationally-ranked Great Cow Harbor 10k Run, known for its small town charm.

“This is the single largest competitive race on Long Island,” said William Fodor, who has been coordinating the race’s elite runners from across the nation for the past six years. It's a course Fodor knows well, running it 15 times from 1987 through 2005.

“These are the names in American racing. You don’t get any bigger names, and it happens year after year,” Fodor said of the more than 30 star athletes including Olympic medalists and national champions with whom he’s been in constant communication since January.

Headlining the women’s field, which Fodor describes as “one of the deepest” he has ever seen, is Californian Deena Kastor. Kastor, a 2004 Olympic Bronze medalist, is also the reigning American Marathon record holder. Kastor won the Chicago and London Marathons, and was the 2008 Olympic trials marathon winner.

Then there’s Stephanie Rothstein of Arizona who took 2nd place at Great Cow Harbor last year, and placed second in the 2010 USA 20K Championships hosted by Stratton Faxon in New Haven, Connecticut.

Onlookers should also keep their eyes peeled for Janet Cherobon-Bawcom, who won her first US title over Labor Day weekend at the USA 20K Championships. She was the first woman to cross the finish line with a time of 1:08:31.

Both Kastor and Cherobon-Bawcom have a shot at taking down the women’s course record, Fodor said.

Alisha Williams, of Colorado, who placed sixth in the USA 20K Championships, is another top contender.

Fodor’s other women’s favorites include Heidi Westover, Mary Akor, and Minnesotan Kristen Nicolini, the wife of men’s favorite Jason Lemkuhle. A former All-American at Villanova, Nicolini won the Great Cow Harbor Run in 2006, 2007, and 2008.

Long Islanders will probably be rooting for Katie DiCamillo, who was born and raised in Garden City, but is now a Rhode Islander.

In terms of the men’s field, two-time Cow Harbor defending champ Californian Mohammed Trafeh, who wants to best his own record, will face his biggest challenge from Jason Lehmkuhle. Lehmkuhle, who took first place at Cow Harbor in 2003 and 2008, just took second place at the USA 20K Championships.

Onlookers should also keep an eye on Fernando Cabada of Colorado, Andrew Carlson of Minnesota, and Nate Jenkins of Massachusetts. Cabada just placed third at the USA Championships; Jenkins placed third at Cow Harbor in 2009, Fodor said.

“You have to know that I have guys here who could dish up some surprises,” Fodor said, adding that the weather will play a major role in determining who comes out on top.

“If it’s a hot, steamy day, it will take its toll on the runners.”

For more on the post-Villanova career of Kristen Nicolini, click the title to this post.

Bobby Curtis has overcome insomnia to become one of the top 10,000-meter runners in the United States. He'll make his half marathon debut in Philadelphia on Sunday. Photo: PhotoRun.net

Bobby Curtis couldn’t sleep and Adam Goucher couldn’t run.

Together, they made for a very frustrated twosome.

Now, however, tte Americans are ready and anxious to compete in this Sunday’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon against a strong international field that includes defending champion Matthew Kisorio of Kenya.

Curtis, one of the nation’s best 10,000-meter runners, will be making his half-marathon debut and hopes to use it as a springboard for the Nov. 6 New York City Marathon, a distance he also will be running for the first time.

Goucher, also among the nation’s top distance competitors, is hoping to get the U.S. Olympic Trials qualifiying time of 65 minutes in order to compete at the trials in Houston on January 14, 2012. It will be his first attempt at the 26.2-mile distance. His wife, Kara, already has qualified.

A former star at Villanova, Curtis will feel at home in Sunday’s race. He also will be running at close to perfect health after battling conditioned insomnia for a number of years. The affliction cost him hours and hours of sleep, starting in 2004.

“I had difficulty sleeping and staying asleep,” the 2008 NCAA 5,000-meter champion said. “I had severe bouts for months. That went on for about four or five years. It was an emotionally related problem, not a physical one. I wasn’t sleeping well because of fear and anxiety. I had become obsessed and worried about not sleeping. It wasn’t easy.”

During that time, Curtis, 26, saw a series of doctors and specialists. He also attended a “sleep lab,” where his brain waves were measured. His body ingested a plethora of sleeping medications. “I tried so many things that weren’t working,” he said. “After not sleeping for a while, it becomes a psychological problem more than a physical one.”

“Sleep deprivation is performance-enhancing for the first week,” Curtis added.. “After that, it becomes real serious–it starts taking away from your performance. Since then, I’ve learned a few techniques that have helped me relax. I still have some difficulty sleeping, but it’s not affecting my training or my running, like it did in the past. In the past, it would go on for months and months.”

It got so bad that in 2009 Curtis told his coach he was giving up running because he was a “wreck.” He quit the sport and gave up school for about six months. A year later, he felt much better because he had overome his sleeping disorder and was determined to return to the sport he loved. He realized that the lack of sleep was not the big issue, but his reaction to it was triggering the insomnia. He’s not sure if he’s outgrown the problem, but it’s not as troublesome as it was before. Instead, he’s concentratig on his running, and the results have been satisfying. Earlier this year at Stanford on May 1 he ran a personal best 27:24.67 for 10,000 meters–one of the top marks in the U.S. this year.

“I’m fine now,” Curtis said. “In all my research, I was surprised to find how many people have this problem. I don’t know if I’ve outgrown it, but for the past year and a half, it hasn’t been a problem.”

Adam Goucher will race for the first time in a year-and-a-half on Sunday in Philadelphia. Photo: PhotoRun.net

Goucher, 36, on the other hand, has been battling injuries for much of his career. He hasn’t run a race in nearly two-and-a-half years. Now, he believes he is healthy enough to compete again and hopes to return to the form that helped him win U.S. outdoor 5,000-meter championships in 1999 and 2000, U.S. 4k and 12K cross-country titles in 2000 and 2006 and a total of four NCAA titles indoors, outdoors and in cross country during the late 1990s while at the University of Colorado.

“My health is good,” he said. “I’ve been training healthy for about 10 months. I’ve been doing low intensity work while getting in some good miles. I’m excited about racing again. Obviously, there’s the unknown. But I am anxious to get going again. I feel confident about returning to racing.”

Goucher’s confidence was shaken in recent years by a series of injuries and by doubters saying his racing days were behind him and he should retire.

“I thought I was pretty much done with racing,” he said of his mindset a year-and-a-half ago. “My body hurt too much. I was tired of it. I was ready to retire. It’s been a long road.”

That long road was been made even more difficult by ankle surgery in 2007, which required the removal of a bone fragment and cartilage chip, as well as having down a troublesome bone spur. He had a permanent screw inserted in his navicular bone in hopes of treating a stress frracture he had been dealing with for nearly two years, and also was hampered by a hip injury last year.

Now, Goucher is feeling fit enough to average about 100 miles a week in training. “But I have to listen to my body,” he said. To help his body, he has learned to take a day off after a difficult training session.

And thoughts of retirement have disappeared.

“I’ll retire when I feel I’m ready to retire,” Goucher said. “Nobody will tell me when to retire. I will keep running until it’s not fun anymore. There are always going to be doubters. But as long as I know I’m giving my best, that’s what I’m concerned about.”